


A Mother's Thoughts

by Sokorra



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Series, References to Canonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2013-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-31 00:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokorra/pseuds/Sokorra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deb thinks about the past as she puts her grandchildren to bed and discusses the future with her son and daughter-in-law.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mother's Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> *Unbeta'd version. Subject to small changes when beta'd.

There were moments where Debra Lee Scott thanked God her son was stronger than her. Somehow, despite the screwed up parents he had been given, Nathan had turned out alright. He was healthy, and happy, and apparently able to find in his own life what she had never been able to find in her own. Some sense of inner calm that allowed him to be okay and move on from what had happened.

She stood up from where she had been standing, walking further into her grandson's room to cover him with the blanket that had managed to make its way off the bed. She smiled as she leaned down to kiss his cheek before returning to the hallway. Nathan used to kick off his sheets too when he was Jamie's age. Somehow between 8 and his teen years he had switched into being less of a kicker, which she was sure Haley was glad for. 

Nathan and Haley had gone out for the night, enjoying a long awaited date night while she watched her two grandchildren and walked down memory lane. She looked at the walls, which were covered with pictures of the family, both the immediate and the extended. She paused at one at the top of the stairs. It had been taken by Haley, Right before college graduation. In it stood both Lucas & Nathan, standing side by side in black suits looking happy. Nathan's hair had been longer than usual, but it had been a good look on him. Lucas had his hair cropped into spikes, bleached a brighter blond. 

There were no pictures of Dan and Keith where they both looked happy, not since they had been small boys. It was kind of odd, she thought, that Dan's sons had started out hating each other because of their father, but eventually learning to love each other while Dan himself had started off loving his brother but let his bitterness and jealousy rip away their relationship. She could tell, at the end, that Keith had still loved his brother. She imagined that the hate was starting to wear the love thin. Dan, on the other hand, she wasn't quite sure ever loved his brother the way Keith deserved. Not until it was too late.

She sighed and continued down the stairs, stopping to smile at pictures of Jamie and Lydia, including one that had been part of her personal favorites. It was a picture of Lydia and Nathan where he had her sitting on his lap at the River court; his jacket zipped around them both. He was smiling down at her as she looked curiously around her, one hand on the collar of the jacket peering out. She had Haley's brown eyes, but there was quite a bit of Nathan in her. 

She was happy that her son had found happiness. That he had found someone who would support him no matter what, who would fight for him if he needed her to. She remembered her initial impression of Haley had been that she had been good for Nathan. His grades were improving, though they never got to the heights she knew he was capable of simply because he gave other things priority. Haley managed to get him to at least care for a little while.

Then things had soured when the two of them had eloped. She had been so angry. Watching her own marriage go down the drain, her hatred of her husband growing and feeling guilt that she might have had something to do with Dan's heart attack had her lashing out. All she could see was history repeating itself with her son and she couldn't let it. She couldn't let him be blinded by love the way she had been, only to find it was a superficial love that had no room to grow into the long lasting and binding variety.

Only her son had been smarter than her, it seems. They had their problems, and she supposed it made it easier for her to deal with, as stupid as it sounds. They hadn't had a perfect marriage. At first she thought she was glad because it had ended early before her son's life had been irrevocably changed.

But as she sat through several bouts of rehab, especially the one that took, she concluded that, depressingly, she had been glad because it meant that it was all relationships, not just hers. That she had thought she had been losing her son and that he had jumped at Haley because Haley had been the one to hold him together when his parents couldn't.

She still felt guilty for feeling that way. Who was happy that their child was hurting because it made them feel better?

She had been relieved though when Haley and Nathan had worked things out. It had given her a chance to change the way things were, to show Haley that she wasn't going to be that woman anymore, the one that blamed her daughter-in-law for everything going wrong in her life. Granted, she really hadn't expected to hear a few weeks after the wedding that history was repeating itself in another way.

She still struggled with the grandmother thing. On one hand she wouldn't trade a moment away with her grandchildren. She loved them deeply, and unconditionally. She was doing a better job as a grandmother then as a mother, she knew, but it probably helped that Haley was already being a better mother.

She remembered when Nathan told her. She actually hadn't found out till weeks after everyone else did. It had been after the last game Nathan played for high school when Karen, who was more of a friend to her then she had imagined, had dropped her off at the rehab center. She had gotten a phone call, and had called her son. She remembered standing in the hall next to the public phone (she hadn't been allowed her cellphone yet) wearing what amounted to daytime pajamas, her hair pulled up on her head and being sober for the first time in quite a while. 

She had figured he would hang up on her, that he wouldn't talk to her at all. After all she had chosen her pills over her son enough times, which still haunted her from time to time. But it seemed her son was of a more forgiving heart then she was, though where he got that she had no clue. It wasn't from her, and it certainly hadn't been from Dan.

He had informed her that they had won the game, what had happened with Dante, how Dan had switched places with him to avoid his arrest, even though it was mute in the end. 

"Is Haley alright?" she had asked, fearing that her son might have lost something more precious than his career that night.

"Yes, though she had a few injuries, the baby's fine too which is good. We were worried she had lost him due to the impact, but they heard a healthy heartbeat." He had clearly not realized he had told his mother his wife was pregnant in an offhand manner, because he continued to rattle on about her physical therapy while she stood there stunned.

Her baby was having a baby. 

"She's pregnant?" there was a pause as Nathan must have realized that he had never really told her about the pregnancy.

"Ah, yeah,” he had replied, a sheepish tone to his voice. She's due in June."

"Just in time for graduation."

"Mom." There was a warning in his tone then, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Not because she felt he was being mean to her, but that he thought he had to defend Haley. It had been an innocent comment but she could see, especially after the reaction to the first wedding, why Nathan would think she was being a malcontent about the situation.

"I didn't mean anything with that, Nate." The rest of the conversation had been subdued but he had still talked to her. When she walked back to her room her thoughts were a bit scattered but she could recall one thing.

Her baby was having a baby. He was dealing with it on his own, with only his wife to support him, while in high school, while trying to make sure he got into College basketball so he could retain his career chances. And she wasn't there to help out.

It had given her new resolve, not that she had been without before. It was just that she had never had enough of it to fully conquer her addiction. At least enough that she wouldn't go find her pill cases as soon as she got up.

Thankfully she had been out of the rehab, and clean for a couple months when her grandson was born. He had been so perfect, and it had almost hurt to watch how happy Nathan and his little family were. A family she was barely a part of due to her own mistakes.

It was then she had decided that she would do anything for her family. Her first act as "Nanny Deb" had been to keep from Haley and Nathan that Dan had gone to prison, not wanting to bring up the conversation that would ensue. Haley hadn't been told yet that Dan had killed Keith, and she didn't want to spoil the new mother's first day with her child with the knowledge she had married into a family that included a mother-in-law who had tried to murder her husband, and a father-in-law that had succeeded in killing his own brother.

It still amazed her that Nathan and Lucas turned out so normal.

She reached the bottom of the stairs as she heard the door creek open. She smiled as she walked towards the kitchen, knowing her son had returned home. She paused, right before she would have come into their view, watching as Nathan and Haley talked softly to each other. She felt a mixture of things. Happiness that they were still so happy with each other, tinged with a little sorrow and jealousy that she could never seem to have that for herself.

“Hey, Mom”, Nathan said, a grin on his face as he noticed his mother entering the kitchen. “How did it go?”

“Lydia fell asleep halfway through the movie. Jamie however convinced me to watch a second one. He’s asleep now.”

Now that they were closer, he leaned over to hug her. 

“Thank you so much, Deb,” Haley stated as she followed her husband. Deb smiled at her, greeting her with a hug as well. Their relationship had improved so much over the years.   
“You know I’m happy to watch them anytime. Have a nice night?” 

“Yeah,” Nathan said his grin widening though with a pointed look from Haley he didn’t add anything to that statement.

“It was nice to go out to eat and not have to worry about the kids.” Haley said, getting mugs out of the cabinet for some hot chocolate. It had become a tradition in the James-Scott household to have a cup of cocoa before bed, and Deb was happy to go along with it. Haley had an interesting recipe she used involving cayenne pepper that made it a nice way to end an evening. 

“Speaking of which,” Nathan started, going towards the fridge to get the whipped cream to put on top of the cocoa. “We have some news to share with you.” 

“Oh?” Deb smiled, especially when she noticed Haley giving him a look.

“In a few months, your babysitting duty is going to be increased to three.” Nathan grinned while Haley started to focus on their drinks. 

“Congratulations,” Deb said, genuinely happy for her son, hugging him once again before moving on to her daughter-in-law. “I’m surprised so soon, given the spacing between Jamie and Lydia.”

“It wasn’t…exactly planned,” Haley admitted. For a moment Deb wondered if Haley was unhappy about the prospect of a third child, but soon pushed that thought aside. Haley wasn’t unhappy, just maybe a little annoyed at the unplanned part of the situation.

“Well, it looks like you broke the two child trend for the Scott family,” Deb said jokingly. “Have you told Jamie and Lydia?”

“No, we are waiting till Haley’s a little further along to really say anything.” Nathan explained.

“He just had to tell someone,” Haley teased. “We just found out today. You are the first to know.”

“Not Lucas?”

“His cellphone went to voice mail,” Nathan responded. Deb almost burst out laughing at the look on her son’s face. Haley on the other hand did not let almost stop her, an started laughing.

“We weren’t even out of the Doctor’s office before he was on the phone,” Haley said smiling at her mother-in-law. “He wanted to get Luca’s prediction on what the gender will be.”

“He was right the last two times,” Nathan stated in his defense.

“Only because he wouldn’t argue with me.”

“So I suppose that means we should be asking what your prediction is.” Deb said, accepting the mug Haley held out to her.

“I think it’s going to be another boy.”

“It could be another girl.”

“True, but the history lies with it being a boy.”

“Any names thought up yet?”

“Actually, I do have one.” Given Nathan’s expression, Deb assumed that he was unaware of this fact.

“What is it?”

“Brian Keith.”

“After the actor?” Nathan asked, his brow creasing in confusion.

“No, silly. Brian, after Whitey. Keith after your Uncle. I figure since we have a tradition of naming our children after people who have meant a lot to us, I should carry it on. It’s time to use names from your side.”

“I like it,” Deb stated. “But what if it’s a girl?”

“I don’t have any idea yet,” Haley admitted. “Though I think it’s a good bet that Brooke is going to suggest Brooke Peyton or Peyton Brooke.”

“I’m going to veto that one, as much as I love both of them,” Nathan commented. “But we have time to come up with something.”

“Dad?” Nathan looked at the doorway of the kitchen to see a half asleep Jamie standing there. Deb thought he looked adorable in his jersey and bed hair.

“Hey Jamie, you should be in bed,” he said softly, walking towards his son. 

“I wanted to wait up for you.”

“Well, I’m here. Now let’s get you back to bed. The sooner you sleep, the sooner we can get up and have our boys-only breakfast with Uncle Luke.”

“Waffles?”

“Waffles.”

Deb smiled, as the image before her was slightly superimposed by the memory of Dan talking to Nathan. Back before it went wrong, before Dan allowed his bitterness to overtake him. Nathan had been only a few years younger than Jaime then, asking for waffles.

Haley gave her a smile, as if she could tell what she was thinking, and squeezed her hand before walking to join her husband in getting their eldest into bed.

Her son was happy, and it looked like the cycle of the last few generations had been broken by Nathan and Lucas.

Some traditions deserved to end.


End file.
